Morning, folks. We’re going to be working on more reviews here at The Bits today, but we do have some interesting release news to report for you before we get started on those.

First, it appears that whatever was going on to delay the Amazon pre-orders for upcoming 4K titles from Warner seems to have been resolved. You can now pre-order Blade Runner: 2049 on 4K (and also Blu-ray – keep in mind the title hasn’t officially been announced, so there’s no street date yet and we don’t know if there will be the 3D and deluxe SKUs in the US) and also Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – one of the four remaining Potter titles due on 11/7. We expect the others to appear soon and we’ve updated our 4K Ultra HD Release List too. [Read on here…]

Morning, folks! Hope you all had a great weekend. We’ve been very busy here working on new reviews for you.

Along those lines, here’s my thoughts on Warner’s Peanuts Holiday Collection in 4K Ultra HD, Lionsgate’s American Gods: Season One on Blu-ray, PBS’ The Farthest: Voyager in Space and The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick on Blu-ray, GKids’ new Blu-ray editions of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s animated Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, and Tim’s look at Arrow’s new A Fish Called Wanda: Special Edition and Robert Englund’s 976-EVIL from Sony, both on Blu-ray. Whew!

Rest assured, we’ve got more new reviews coming this week, including a bunch more 4K titles, Baby Driver and Spiderman: Homecoming included. So be sure to watch for those. [Read on here…]

Tim has posted a pair of new Blu-ray reviews today, featuring his thoughts on Lew Lehman’s The Pit from Kino Lorber and Jeffrey Delman’s Deadtime Stories from Scream Factory. Both are worth a look for fans, so do check them out.

I’m also going to be working on more new 4K reviews this afternoon, so watch for them to be posted here on the site later today and tomorrow morning. We’ll mention them here in tomorrow’s My Two Cents column.

By the way, I wanted to invite you all to follow The Bits on Facebook and Twitter if you don’t already. More importantly, I wanted to invite you to follow me personally (Bill Hunt) on Facebook and Twitter, if you’d like as well. Do keep in mind, however, that on my own personal pages I tend to talk more about other things of interest to me than just Blu-ray, 4K, and DVD specifically – films, great books, science topics, spaceflight, history, technology, and the like. You’re always welcome to communicate with me that way, particularly via Facebook Messenger, as e-mail these days seems to be inundated with junk and SPAM. Maybe I’ll see you there. [Read on here…]

All right, today is a work holiday for many here in the U.S., but we do have some interesting new release news for you all regardless.

First up, new signals from retail sources (including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and others) are suggesting that Disney and Lucasfilm are planning to release Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD on 4/4, instead of the date previously listed by retailers which was 3/28. Until this weekend, Best Buy was taking pre-orders with no date listed, but that’s now been pulled, suggesting that an official announcement may be coming any day. Stay tuned for official details.

Speaking of Disney, the studio has confirmed that it’s currently working on new Walt Disney Signature Edition Blu-ray releases of Fantasia and Bambi. The latter film has been out of print on Blu-ray here in the States for a number of years now, so that’s certainly good news for fans. You can learn a bit more here. [Read on here…]

We’ve got a pair of new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray reviews for all of you to enjoy here at The Bits today. I’ve given Warner’s The Accountant and Sony’s Inferno a spin on the format, both of which are recent releases, and have a few things to say about each. Do give them a look.

Also today, it’s become fairly clear that Amazon and Disney are having another one of their strange business tiffs that involves Amazon pulling all of Disney’s forthcoming Blu-ray titles off of pre-order. Case in point, Moana, Doctor Strange, etc. This may also be why Disney and Lucasfilm have not yet announced the Blu-ray release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, even though it’s already available for pre-order on other retail sites. While they no doubt have their reasons, these actions are a major inconvenience to both Amazon’s customers and Disney’s Blu-ray consumers, so these two companies should get their act together. [Read on here…]

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All right, it’s been slow news-wise the last couple of days, so I’ve been working on new Blu-ray and DVD reviews. Be sure to watch for those over the next day or two...

In announcement news, Universal has officially set Studio Ghibli’s When Marnie Was There for Blu-ray and DVD combo release on 10/6. Both versions will feature trailers and TV spots, plus a behind-the-scenes featurette on the voice talent. The Blu-ray will exclusively add 2 more documentaries (The Making of When Marnie Was There and Yohei Taneda Creates the Art of When Marnie Was There) and feature-length storyboard version of the film. [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

All right, we’ve got some very cool and interesting release news for you today...

But first, our own Michael Coate has posted a new History, Legacy & Showmanship column featuring a look back at Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief in celebration of the film’s 60th anniversary! He’s got release details, plus a great roundtable interview with film historians John Cork, Steven DeRosa, and Martin Hart. It’s a great read, so don’t miss it.  [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

All right, just a quick update today, but we DO have some pretty exciting news to report...

First, Disney has just set their Aladdin: Diamond Edition for Blu-ray release on 10/13 (SRP $36.99). We know this because Amazon is already taking pre-orders on it. We’re waiting to hear more about the content and extras (we think the official press announcement is a few weeks away yet), but you can see the Blu-ray cover artwork on the left there and you can pre-order it on Amazon by clicking here or on the cover image below.  [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

All right, it’s President’s Day here in the States, so there’s not much in the way of release news. But there’s plenty going on around here at The Bits today…

First up, we have no less than four new disc reviews for you today, all connected to the fine animation of Studio Ghibli. Tim Salmons has taken a look at Ghibli’s Pom Poko and Porco Rosso, both newly available on Blu-ray from Disney. And I’ve reviewed Ghibli and Isao Takahata’s The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, which streets on Blu-ray from Universal tomorrow. Finally, I’ve also reviewed a new documentary DVD release about Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki – The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness from Cinedigm. All are well worth your time, so do give them a look. [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to like TheDigitalBits.com page on Facebook for breaking news, site updates on the go, discussion with our staff and other readers, giveaways and more!]

All right, we have details for you on the extras you’ll find on Disney’s forthcoming Studio Ghibli titles, due on 2/3/15. Pom Poko will include original Japanese storyboards and trailers. Porco Rosso will include original Japanese storyboards and a trailer, an interview with Toshio Suzuki, and a Behind the Microphone featurette. Finally, Tales from Earthsea will include original Japanese storyboards, trailers, and TV spots, and 2 featurettes (Birth of the Film Soundtrack and Origins of Earthsea). I should note that I’ve also informed Disney of the problem with the subtitles on the recent Princess Mononoke Blu-ray (and that they should check to make sure a similar screw-up doesn’t happen on these three new titles). When and if they get back to me with word on what they plan to do about Mononoke, I’ll let you know.  [Read on here…]